Well doggone! Here we go again with gotta ban some firearms because the firearm has a certain component part. Seems to me that we went through this particular part a few years ago because a lib politician was mouthing off in a similar fashion.

IIRC, pretty much every identifying feature of an “assault weapon”, as defined by the Clintonian ban that expired without being renewed, did nothing to make the “assault weapon” more deadly than an ordinary semi-automatic rifle.

As to “barrel shrouds” my old 20 gauge bolt action and 12 gauge double barrel shotguns had something that served the same purpose, pieces of wood along the underside of the barrels to protect my hand from being burnt by a hot barrel.

The whole “assault weapon” hysteria-shtick has everything to do with “Rambo” type movies and TV shows, and nothing to do with preventing murders (multiple or single).